Taking Aspirin Every Day May Double Melanoma Risk in Men, Says New Study
Preventing skin cancer obviously includes a serious SPF routine. We know this. But staying out of the sun isn't the only thing that impacts your risk of skin cancer — your diet and even certain medications have been linked to an increased risk. Now, a new study suggests that taking aspirin may significantly up the risk of melanoma in men.
Doctors recommend a daily dose of aspirin to certain patients for two major reasons. First, it's long been lauded for its cardio-protective effects, according to the Mayo Clinic. And in recent years, studies have also suggested it can help lower your risk of certain cancers, according to the National Cancer Institute.
Researchers at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine set out to see if there might be similar protective effects against skin cancer in a study published last month in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. They combed through data on almost 200,000 patients between the ages of 18 and 89 and separated them into two groups — those taking daily aspirin and those not — before tagging cases of melanoma.
They didn't find what they expected. Rather than protecting against cancer, chronic aspirin use nearly doubled the risk of melanoma in men. Women, meanwhile, showed no difference.
Why just men?
Since the study didn't specifically look at this, researchers can't draw any definitive conclusions. "We really don't know for sure why we saw the increased risk for men only and not for women," study author Beatrice Nardone, a research assistant professor of dermatology at Northwestern, tells Allure. Her theory? It could be that certain enzymes, which protect against cell-damaging oxidative stress, have been shown in both human and animal studies to be lower in men.
Lifestyle factors may also play a role, she says. The difference might be as simple as men's versus women's skill with sunscreen. "Men may not be as diligent at applying sunscreen as women," Joshua Zeichner, director of cosmetic and clinical research in dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, tells Allure. On top of that, "they generally have lower antioxidant offenses, and may have had greater sun exposure," he says.
In the absence of a specific look at causation, experts can really only guess what might be behind the skin cancer correlation.
Does this mean you shouldn't take aspirin?
The findings shouldn't prompt you to ditch your pills. "It's important not to jump to any radical conclusions without more detail-oriented supporting studies, especially since there are conflicting publications in the literature," Lilly-Rose Paraskevas, a dermatologist in New York City, tells Allure. "I would not recommend stopping aspirin therapy for its cardio-protective effects because of this study."
Nardone agrees, stressing that the findings should be used to raise awareness of the possible connection between aspirin and melanoma so that you can talk to your doc.
Aspirin isn't the only drug that's been shown to up your risk of skin cancer, adds Zeichner. Some organ transplant and blood pressure medications have also been linked to an increased risk. The moral of the story? Make sure your dermatologist knows which medications you're taking (both prescriptions and any over-counter-drugs you use regularly). "We know from studies that patients who are under the care of a dermatologist usually have melanomas caught at an earlier stage and thus have better outcomes," says Paraskevas.
For more on skin cancer risk:
Now, see 100 years of skin care:
